Portable water heater



Dec. 13, 1966 PRIN ER 3,291,112

PORTABLE WATER HEATER Filed Jan. 25, 1965 OOOOOOWOUU" 0090000000" 2? United States Patent Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,634 2 Claims. (Cl. 126-5) This invention relates generally to a portable water tank, and more particularly to a portable water tank having an external coil in combination with a firepot structure capable of holding combustible material, such as charcoal, for heating the coil and thus the water.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved water heater.

It is another object of this invention to provide a portable water heater for use with a readily combustible material wherein the firepot for holding the material is a lightweight structure integral with the heater.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a' coil and firepot structure readily applicable to a conventional portable water tank forproviding quickly available hot water in the field.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a water tank and a coil external thereof and in fluid communication therewith, wherein a firepot structure for holding combustible material is supported by the coil itself.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a water tank and a coil external thereof and in fluid communication therewith, wherein a perforated firepot structure embraces the coil and is supported by the coil for holding combustible material about the coil.

It is another object of this invention to provide a portable water heater capable of attaining the objectives described hereinbefore which is economical to manufacture, simple and rugged in construction, and effective in service.

These objects, and other features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the portable water heater of this invention, certain parts broken away for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the heater of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the coil and firepot structure as taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the application to the firepot of a plurality of cooking utensil supports;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 wherein a combustible charcoal briquette material has been placed in the firepot; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bracket.

Referring now to the drawings, the portable water heater of this invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1, and comprises basically a water tank 11, a coil 12 in fluid communication with the tank 11, and a firepot 13 embracing and supported by the coil 12. The firepot 13 is arranged to hold a combustible material, such as charcoal briquettes 14 (FIG. 5) or the like. Thus, water or any other fluid held within the tank 11, will be heated by the charcoal fire heating the coil 12, and circulated upwardly through the coil 12 and transmitted back into the tank 11.

More particularly, the water tank 11 (FIG. 1) has a top wall 16 with a handle 17 and a filler cap 18 associated therewith, side walls 19, and a bottom wall or base 21. The walls serve to form a chamber within the tank 11. A faucet 22 is shown attached to one wall 19 for draining water out of the tank 11. The placement of the faucet 22 is arbitrary. As depicted, the tank 11 Will hold approximately five gallons of liquid such as water, is manu- 3,291,112 Patented Dec. 13, 1966 factured of thin gauge metal, and is easily carried by one person.

The heating coil 12 is a helical coil having a pulrality of turns of soft copper tubing. The tubing has a threeeights inch outer diameter and the inner diameter of the coil 12 itself is approximately three inches. A lower straight terminal portion 23 (FIGS. 1 and 2) extends tangentially from the coil 12, toward one side wall 19 of the tank, where it is placed in fluid communication with a lower portion of the tank chamber by a conventional pipe fitting 24.

An upper straight terminal portion 26 also extends tangentially from the coil 12 toward a side wall 19, said portion 26 extending away from the coil 12 at a point vertically spaced from the portion 23. Referring to FIG. 2, this will be seen clearly, and that the terminal portions 23 and 26 are parallel. Another pipe fitting 27 adapted for this purpose places the terminal portion 26 in communication with the chamber within the tank 11 at an upper portion thereof. Referring to FIG. 1, a straight conduit 28 is shown in dotted lines, which conduit 28 extends across the tank chamber from a fluid connection with the terminal portion 26. The extension conduit 28 is arbitrary as to length. It has been found, however, that the arrangement as illustrated provides the best circulation.

The firepot 13 utilizes the coil 12 as a support, having no connection with the tank 11, and comprises a sheet 29 of twenty-four gauge stainless steel, which has perforations 31 formed therein. By forming a pair of spaced slots 32 and 33 in one end of the sheet 29, the sheet 29 can be wrapped around so as to embrace the coil 12, with the upper terminal portion 26 extended through one slot 32, and the lower terminal portion 23 extended through the other slot 33. The sheet 29 thus hangs on and is supported by the coil 12, and embraces the coil completely except for the terminal portions 23 and 26.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the perforated sheet 29 has an upper end 34 which extends above the coil 12, and a lower end 36 which depends below the coil 12. Secured to the inner surface of the lower end 36 is a perforated base 37. The base 37 can be cup shaped as illustrated, or be a fiat plate with a plurality of depending flanges. Of primary importance, the perforated base 37 supports the briquettes 14 within the sheet 29 and in contacting and contiguous relation to the turns of the coil 12. The firepot 13 is completed by a curved heat shield 38 (FIGS. 1 and 2) secured to the sheet 29 between the terminal portions 23 and 26, extended substantially the length of the sheet 29, and disposed on the side of the sheet facing the tank 11.

In use, the tank 11 is filled with water or whatever fluid is prefered, and it is transported in the condition illustrated in FIG. 1. At the point of use, the charcoal briquettes 14 are placed in the sheet 29 and on the base 37, and ignited. It can readily be appreciated that other combustible material is useable. The heating of the fluid in the coils 12 causes the fluid to flow upwardly within the coil 12, exit into the tank chamber, and re enter the coil 12 through the lower terminal portion 23.

It has been proved that by the present arrangement, the upper three-fourths of a full tank of water heats to a Warm temperature within approximately one-half hour, and that the remaining lower one-fourth of the tank 11 takes another one-half hour to heat. By placing the faucet 22 as illustrated, warm or hot water is therefore readily available under ordinary conditions.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, a bracket 39 is shown, several of which may be secured to the top of the sheet 29 to provide a stable and widespread base for a cooking utensil or a large coffee pot. Each bracket 39 has a pair of support arms 41 the inner ends 42 of which are curved to hook into perforations 31. The vertical portion of an L-shaped leg 43, integral with the arms 41, rests against the sheet 29 in use, as best illustrated in FIG. 4. The brackets 39 are readily attachable to and detachable from the firepot 13.

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed and described hereinbefore, it is to be remembered that various modifications and alternate constructions can be made thereto without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable fluid heater comprising:

a tank for fluid having side walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber therein, said tank having a closeable opening formed in a wall thereof for normally filling the chamber with a fluid;

a heating coil disposed externally of the tank with terminal portions rigidly connected to said side wall and communicating with upper and lower portions of said chamber; and

a firepot including a perforated member enclosing the sides and bottom of said coil, said terminal portions extended through said member and adapted to support said member and said coil. 7 2. A portable fluid heater as defined in claim 1 and further wherein means are detachably connected to and supported on said member for providing a support for a cooking utensil over said member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 29,376 7/ 1860 Hoffmire 126-5 330,462 11/1885 Bradley 122251 482,772 9/1892 Wilcox 126-5 958,227 5/1910 Comes 126215 1,010,005 11/1911 Williams. 1,279,419 9/ 1918 Pendell 12225 1 X 2,514,642 7/ 1950 Holmes 126-362 3,192,916 7/ 1965 Vitkay 1265 FOREIGN PATENTS 783,476 4/ 1935 France.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Primary Examiner.

R. A. DUA, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE FLUID HEATER COMPRISING: A TANK FOR FLUID HAVING SIDE WALLS AND TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS FORMING A CHAMBER THEREIN, SAID TANK HAVING A CLOSEABLE OPENING FORMED IN A WALL THEREOF FOR NORMALLY FILLING THE CHAMBER WITH A FLUID; A HEATING COIL DISPOSED EXTERNALLY OF THE THANK WITH TERMINAL PORTIONS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID SIDE WALL AND COMMUNICATING WITH UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID CHAMBER; AND A FIREPOT INCLUDING A PERFORATED MEMBER ENCLOSING THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF SAID COIL, SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS EXTENDED THROUGH SAID MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID MEMBER AND SAID COIL. 